Chicago-based
artist José Lerma is known for his humorous paintings of historical figur
es such as European aristocrats who rise to power before falling from grac
e or infantile kings who evoke both the heroic and the pathetic. For the a
rtist’s BMO Harris Bank Chicago Works exhibition at the Museum of Contempo
rary Art (MCA) Chicago\, Lerma presents his large-scale “keyboard painting
s” which are leaned against the gallery wall and propped up on either side
by a book and an electric keyboard.